Support programs offered for survivors

Regina Friedman, 89, of Sunny Isles Beach, is a Holocaust survivor. Friedman is legally blind and says she has "plenty of other health problems."

Friedman says the help provided to her by Jewish Community Services of South Florida (JCS), for which she's been a client for about 15 years, is invaluable to her quality of life.

Friedman is provided case management, home care and heavy house cleaning by JCS, a program serving Miami-Dade County.

"These people are lifesavers," Friedman said. "I don't exaggerate. It's a miracle the help I get. And the people they send to me have so much compassion."

According to its mission statement, the JCS Holocaust Survivor Support Program "honors and respects those who endured the Holocaust by offering support, care and compassion. Using their special skills and knowledge, JCS case managers customize plans that may include at-home counseling, emergency services and home health care. They also assist in claiming and recovering financial assets."

Funds for the program come from the Miami-Dade Jewish community; the Greater Miami Jewish Federation; a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Holocaust Survivor Emergency Assistance Fund.

To make a donation, contact David Feigenbaum, JCS vice president of resource development at 305-899-1587. For more information, or if you know someone who could benefit from this program, call JCS Access at 305-576-6550.

According to its mission statement, the program is "funded through a grant from the Conference on Material Claims Against Germany; the Jewish Federation of Broward County; and the Jewish Community Foundation of Broward County. The program reflects a deep commitment to assist the aging population of survivors. JFS provides in-home care, respite care, counseling and financial assistance."

According to Liorah Karni, supervisor of the JFS Holocaust Department: "The situation is grave for so many survivors who live in hard circumstances. The legacy of their courage and determination in the face of overwhelming despair continues to be a lesson for all humanity. The impairments that come with age only grow as the younger generation of survivors (those who were yet children in the 1940's) get older. The activities of daily living that we take for granted — bathing, dressing, cooking and cleaning — become unmanageable and too costly as frailty and infirmities increase."

Holocaust survivors in Broward County may apply to the Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program by calling 954-370-2140.

In Southern Palm Beach County, Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services (Rales JFS) is there to help Holocaust survivors.

Through the generous support from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, the State of Florida Department of Elder Affairs, the Area Agency on Aging and South Palm Beach County community funding, Rales JFS is able to reach out to Holocaust survivors residing in South Palm Beach County.

Assistance can come in the following areas: filing for restitution and other Holocaust compensation; navigating the benefits process; case management and care coordination; counseling and support groups; financial assistance; companionship; socialization programs; transportation; Emergency Response System; subsidized home care and cleansing services and notary services.

In Northern Palm Beach County, the Holocaust Survivors Assistance Program of the Ferd & Gladys Alpert Jewish Family & Children's Services (AJFCS) is dedicated to easing the lives of survivors of the Shoah. Its internationally recognized professional staff has expertise in helping survivors to identify and address the unique social welfare, health care and emotional needs of Jewish victims of the Nazi atrocities.